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Dear participants of the Yoga Retreat here in Střílky, let me welcome you to our natural, open-air hall in Mahāprabhujī’s Āśrama. I would like to share with you something about the concept of time according to the Vedas and Purāṇas. It is a very broad topic with a vast amount of literature. To know it fully would require years of study. Therefore, I will share a small fragment, which I hope can serve as an inspiration. The concept of time, as understood by the Vedas and those ancient scriptures, is cyclical. Everything moves in a circle. That circle neither begins nor ends; everything keeps repeating. Simultaneously, there are multiple universes existing independently of each other. Every universe has its own laws and its own Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva. Brahmā is the creator, Viṣṇu the preserver, and Śiva the destroyer or liberator. We know that Brahmā creates through expansion. This Vedic view was confirmed at the beginning of the last century. In the 1920s, thanks to the Hubble telescope, it was proven that the universe is expanding. Viśva, from the word Viṣṇu, means to sustain, to be all-pervading and omnipresent. Śiva means gracious, kind. Śiva is the one who, at the end of an age, brings about a collapse so that a new one can begin. These individual universes exist independently, each with its own beginning, end, and course. Everything repeats, although with infinite diversity in forms. It is known that no two snowflakes are alike. The idea of an infinite chain of dissolution and creation corresponds to the latest scientific findings. For example, the physicist Linde from Stanford University says the universe is composed of countless worlds, likened to bubbles. Each has its own life and likely its own physical laws. The American astronomer Carl Sagan, dedicated to popularizing astronomy, also addresses this. In his lectures, available on DVD, he deals with the Vedic concept of cyclical time, stating it is a very probable concept. He mentions two fundamental theories: one where the universe expands forever, and another where sufficient matter causes it to contract, which would align with a cyclical scientific perspective. We live in an interesting time where what is in the Vedas can now be examined. In earlier times, people had stronger faith and inner experience and did not need such proofs. Vedic culture has a mathematically precise concept of time, so intricate and incredible it has no parallel in the world. While other mythologies contain hints of cyclicality, only India offers a very structured theory with extensive evidence. Everything is in a circle, everything repeats. One unit of that circle is a yuga. We know four yugas: Satya Yuga, Tretā Yuga, Dvāpara Yuga, and Kali Yuga, in which we are now living. They have precisely defined durations: Satya Yuga lasts 1,728,000 years. Tretā Yuga lasts 1,296,000 years. Dvāpara Yuga lasts 864,000 years. Kali Yuga lasts 432,000 years. It is perhaps a divine grace that Satya Yuga, the golden age of harmony, is the longest. Each age is shortened by a third, with 432,000 being the base unit for Kali Yuga. If you remember that Kali Yuga is 432,000 years, you can calculate the others by adding this unit. The number 432,000 has cyclical significance in other ancient cultures. For example, ancient Sumerian king lists mention rulers who governed for tens of thousands of years, with references to this number. It also appears in Islamic and Germanic myths in connection with periodically recurring battles between gods and adversaries, akin to the battles between Āsura śaktis and Devī śaktis in the Purāṇas. The Ṛgveda itself has 432,000 syllables. Climatologists note that major climatic and ocean-level changes occur roughly every 430,000 years. Let us return to the yugas. These four yugas together form one Mahāyuga. 'Mahā' means great, and 'yuga' means age or era. It is also called Catur Yuga ('catur' means four) or Divya Yuga (divine yuga). A Mahāyuga lasts 4,320,000 years. At the end of every Mahāyuga, which is at the end of Kali Yuga, there is a dissolution called Laya. The physical world is destroyed by water and fire. Kali Yuga brings very negative energies, especially towards its end. For Satya Yuga to begin, a cleansing is necessary, much like we clean our homes with water and by discarding or burning unnecessary things. The physical world perishes in this dissolution. Our karmas, however, do not perish; they continue with us into the coming ages. After this cleansing, Satya Yuga begins. It is said the yugas begin at dawn and on a Sunday. One thousand Mahāyugas form one Kalpa. Kalpa is an age, and it is also called Aḍḍha-kalpa (half-kalpa) or simply Kalpa. A Kalpa lasts 4.32 billion years. It is either Brahmā’s day or Brahmā’s night. The world is active during Brahmā’s day, and everything rests during Brahmā’s night, just as with us. The end of Brahmā’s day is Kalpānta, a greater dissolution called Pralaya. In Laya, the gross material world was destroyed. In Pralaya, both the subtle and gross material worlds are destroyed: Bhūloka (our Earth), Bhuvarloka (the astral sphere), Svargaloka (heaven), and even higher worlds like Maharloka. Brahmā’s night lasts as long as his day: 4.32 billion years. During this time, souls rest in a period of stillness and non-manifestation. The guṇas are in balance, but the Vedas and the imprints of our karma persist. In Pralaya, there is only water. We know from the Śiva Purāṇa how Viṣṇu rests upon the waters. Another name for Viṣṇu is Nārāyaṇa; 'Nārā' means water and 'ayana' is a place of rest, so he is "the one who rests upon the waters." There are countless Kalpas. Our current Kalpa is called Varāha Kalpa. Varāha is the incarnation of Viṣṇu as a boar, who lifted the Earth from the primal waters so life could begin again. It is said our Kalpa is the 34th. The Purāṇas give names of previous Kalpas. Creation is gradual across Kalpas. For example, the Gandharvas (celestial singers) were created in the 14th Kalpa. The Ṛṣis appeared in the 15th. In the 31st Kalpa, Śiva revealed the Gāyatrī mantra to Brahmā. From the 32nd Kalpa, the goddess Sarasvatī appears. Each Kalpa has something specific. In our world, Brahmā created good and evil and established the law of karma. Even the gods are powerless against this law. It is said that only the guru can work with the law of karma, which is why the guru is said to be greater than God. Those who receive a guru in this life have attained the greatest fortune. Brahmā lives for 100 Brahmā years, a lifespan of about 311 trillion human years. At the end of his life, he dissolves into God or unity, and a new Brahmā arrives. In the ancient Indian system, a year has 360 days. Calculating this results in 36,000 Kalpas, which constitute the life of Brahmā, called the Mahā Kalpa (the great Kalpa). After this comes the final dissolution, the Mahā Pralaya. 'Mahā' means great, and 'laya' means absorption or dissolution. This is the complete dissolution of the universe. All worlds—gross, subtle, and causal—are dissolved. Time ends, all forms end, space ends. All individual consciousnesses, all lokas and their inhabitants, withdraw back into that unity, into the divine essence. This point is called Bindu, into which the entire universe contracts. We see this in the graphic representation of Oṁ as the dot above. It symbolizes the destruction of the universe and the end of karma and the divine play (līlā). Then a new universe arises, and everything repeats. The point of contraction is said to be smaller than a pinhead. In science, this is called a Singularity—an infinitely dense point in time and space from which everything arises. This aligns with the latest scientific findings. We can also read about this point in Jewish mysticism, the Kabbalah, where it is denoted by Ayin, a divine name meaning nothingness or emptiness that is, however, full—the universe pregnant with the next life. According to Kabbalah, the universe also originated from a single point. Whatever is absorbed into it loses its identity, and whatever arises can be anything. It is interesting how these connections are found in all cultures. Universes are regularly created and destroyed, like alternating seasons or day turning into night. Realizing this can make our problems seem petty. Brahmā’s life is 100 years, and we are now in the middle of his age. Recently, a 51st anniversary was celebrated, indicating we are halfway. Svāmījī said a few days ago that we are halfway through the game, perhaps referring to this. Of course, Viṣṇu and Śiva (in the aspect of Rudra) also have their ages, spanning trillions and quadrillions of years. One must study the scriptures to expand the boundaries of knowledge. Now, let us return to the Mahāyugas. Four yugas make one Mahāyuga of 4,320,000 years. Seventy-one Mahāyugas form one Manvantara, the period of rule of one Manu, lasting about 306 million years (sometimes cited as 308 million with transitional periods). I reflected on what this might correspond to in astronomy. When we have 14 Manvantaras, that makes one Kalpa, one day of Brahmā. We are in the middle of Brahmā’s age, meaning we are in the 7th Manvantara. Between Manvantaras, there is a partial destruction (the first Laya), after which creation begins again. The end of a Manvantara coincides with the end of a Kali Yuga. The word Manvantara is composed of 'Manu' and 'Antara' (period). Manu is the first being who appears after a dissolution, establishes a new order and dharma, and founds a new human race. The essence of all religions is the same because they come from one source. In every Manvantara, creation is slightly different. Different Sapta Ṛṣis (seven sages) are active. For our Manvantara, they are: Kaśyapa, Atri, Viśvāmitra, Vasiṣṭha, Gautama, Jamadagni, and Bharadvāja. Some lists mention Bhṛgu and Aṅgiras instead of Jamadagni and Bharadvāja. In Kali Yuga, much has been lost, including the original list. Each Manvantara also has a different Indra, the king of the gods. There is a beautiful story about this. After the gods won a battle against the demons, Indra asked the divine architect Viśvakarmā to build an extraordinary structure. Indra was never satisfied, constantly demanding changes. Tired, Viśvakarmā sought help from Brahmā, who asked Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu assumed the form of a boy radiating spiritual power and appeared to Indra. The boy admired the structure but remarked that no previous Indra had such a thing. Indra was taken aback by the mention of other Indras, for 'Indra' is a title, not a fixed name. Suddenly, thousands of ants appeared. The boy laughed and explained that all those ants were former Indras who, due to their karma, were reborn as ants. Then Śiva appeared as an old ascetic and explained the transience of worldly life. From a tuft of hair on his chest, some hairs fell out. Śiva explained that each hair was a former Brahmā. Indra reflected on this and abandoned his meaningless activities. This story beautifully illustrates the cyclicality of existence. In every Manvantara, there are also different gods. In our Manvantara, there are six classes: 1. Ādityas: Sons of Aditi and Kaśyapa. There are twelve, embodying natural phenomena and cosmic forces (e.g., Indra, Viṣṇu, Rudra). They are associated with light and the sun. 2. Viśvadevas: "All-gods." Sons of Viśvā, daughter of Prajāpati Dakṣa. They personify abstract concepts like truth (satya) and perseverance (dṛḍhi). Their number is between 10 and 22. 3. Vasus: Embodiments of eight kind qualities and natural forces (e.g., fire, water, wind). There are eight. The hero Bhīṣma from the Mahābhārata was one of them, cursed to be born on Earth. 4. Tuṣitas: "The contented ones." Sons of Kaśyapa, they are said to be 12 to 17 in number and represent the fruit of Vedic rituals. 5. Ābhāsvaras: "The shining ones." Their number varies, and they are connected to light. 6. Anilas: "The winds." Also called Maruts or Rudrās, sons of Rudra. They are gods of storms, thunder, and lightning, numbering from 7 to 180. 7. Mahārājikas: "The great royal sages." A group of deities. 8. Sādhyas: "Those to be attained." Sons of Dharma. 9. Rudras: A group of deities associated with Śiva. (Note: The speaker listed several groups; the refined text consolidates them into a structured list based on common Purāṇic classification, noting the overlap with the Maruts mentioned earlier.) I see our time is nearly half over, so we will leave the topic of Manu for tomorrow. Let me share one more beautiful concept. The Vedas speak of the cosmic man, Puruṣa. This Puruṣa sacrificed himself so that the universe could arise from him. He is described as the absolute, the original reality. The Vedas say one quarter of his being is the manifested world, subject to decay. The remaining three quarters are hidden and unchanging. One who perceives the world as a whole, who truly knows, perceives these three quarters. Rāma is sometimes called Uttama Puruṣa. According to the latest scientific research, there is dark matter—the scaffolding of the universe—about which we know little. Then there is the physical matter we perceive. A large portion of the universe remains unknown. Even scientists do not yet fully understand this, but it aligns with the Vedic perspective of Puruṣa. We are halfway through, so we will leave the rest for next time. I realize these concepts and numbers may not be simple to grasp. Let us take a little break from it. Jaya Reṇukā Bhagavān. Kīrtan.